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Cleverly posed awkward questions by replacement

Nadjib Mohammedi’s slippery style forces the Welshman to show resourcefulness in winning the WBO interim light-heavyweight title

Tim Meston

December 13 2010, 12:01am, The Times

Cleverly struggled to get to grips with a slippery opponentDean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images

If James DeGale’s sublime talents had Frank Warren purring, then Nathan Cleverly and Matthew Macklin must have given the promoter kittens as they kept their world title hopes alive in less than convincing fashion at the Echo Arena on Saturday night.

Cleverly, who has the unenviable task of filling the void in Welsh boxing left by Joe Calzaghe, was below par in winning the WBO interim light-heavyweight title. The 23-year-old had to change his game plan after receiving a change of opponent at two days’ notice and admitted that he had only seen footage of Nadjib Mohammedi on YouTube the day before their bout.

The Frenchman’s slippery style frustrated Cleverley who was deducted a point for holding in a rocky sixth round after being caught…